Avondale Academy Counseling 411
February 2017
UPCOMING EVENTS
WINTER BREAK IS COMING
SENIORS FAFSA DEADLINES ARE QUICKLY APPROACHING - MARCH 1st
TIME TO ORDER YOUR SENIOR SHIRT
Senior shirts are free for any senior who completes their FAFSA and gets a copy of their confirmation page to Mrs. Mow. Otherwise they will be around $14.00.
FREE ADHD WORKSHOP
Wednesday, February 22, 2017
From 7-8:30pm
Call for more info or to RSVP: 248-656-3558
NATIONAL COLLEGE FAIR TRIP IS COMING SOON!
National College Fairs allow students to interact one-on-one with college admission representatives from a wide range of post-secondary institutions.
NACAC fairs connect you with hundreds of colleges and universities in one location.
SAVE THE DATES!
4-12-2017 WorkKeys 11th grade, PSAT testing 10th grade
4-18-2017 M-STEP testing - Social Studies 11th grade
4-20-2017 M-STEP testing - Science 11th grade
Please save these dates and make sure your students arrive on time on these days to school.
Some seniors who did not test last year will need to test this year.
OK2SAY/Michigan Cyber Safety Initiative (CSI) Presentation will be on 2/14/2017
The Michigan CSI program teaches students the importance of making safe and wise choices in a technologically evolving world. OK2SAY shows students how to protect themselves and those around them by encouraging confidential tips on criminal activities or potential harm directed at students, school employees, and schools.
MORE IMPORTANT DATES AND INFO!
TEST OUT POLICY
Michigan law provides opportunities for high school students to demonstrate content mastery of a particular course by successfully completing and scoring well on a single test or series of tests created by the subject area department. These tests will be given twice each school year at the high school. Students are required to satisfy the Michigan Merit Curriculum (MMC).
Test Out Applications due May 1
See Mrs Mow for more info or check out Avondale Academy's Counseling Website!
GIVE LIFE - DONATE BLOOD
FAFSA Workshop at OCC
IMPORTANT INFO FOR ALL PARENTS! LEARN MORE ABOUT A.L.I.C.E. Active Shooter Protocols
Continuing the Dialog
Avondale School District Emergency Response Plans
A.L.I.C.E.
Hello Avondale Parents,
Many of you have heard that the Avondale School District, in cooperation with the Auburn Hills Police Department, has recently taken a serious look at school safety and the safety of our students and staff. The decision was made to make our already safe and secure schools even safer. With this, we made some significant changes both internally by way of our policies and procedures, and externally, by way of our law enforcement response. We have implemented a new emergency plan that is consistent with the principals of the nationally recognized A.L.I.C.E. Active Shooter Protocols. We have trained our staff, teachers, administrators, and students - and now we hope to educate parents on how to continue the dialog about this program.
The ultimate goal of our program is to empower our youth by giving them the mental tools they need to keep safe in an emergency situation along with the direction they need to do so in the school environment. We achieved this in different ways, depending on the age group of the students. This letter will help you, as parents (and as our partners in this endeavor), better understand the program and give you the terminology and concepts you might need to discuss this issue with your children. I strongly urge you to attend one of our ALICE Parent Meetings (the next of which is March 8th, 6:30 PM, at Avondale Middle School) so you too can see first-hand the benefit of this amazing new program.
A.L.I.C.E. – in a “nutshell”: ALICE stands for Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, Evacuate. It is non-linear, meaning it does not matter which step is performed first or if at all. In fact, there is no mandated response – as emergency situations are not predictable and there is no one right answer that could possibly cover everything. ALICE gives a set of options – tools – for students to use in any emergency they face. To make it clear, however, we are NOT abandoning our Lockdowns. They are our greatest tool – but we are making them much more effective and now are including them as one of our options based on a given situation. The ALICE protocols deals more with what to do if a lockdown is not possible or is deemed not to be effective (think of the lunchroom or playground).
ALERT: We have taught students that an alert can come in many ways and forms. It could be an announcement over the PA system, the sound of screaming, or even a text or email. You can reinforce this by helping us all to take our alerts serious. Do not ignore the fire alarm, even if you’re sure it is false. We have also changed the way we alert (in cooperation with our police partners) – we will start giving actionable information as soon as possible to our students and staff. For example, we might change “Code Red” to “Lockdown! Lockdown! Bad guy at front door!”
LOCKDOWN: We cannot stress enough – this is our most important and likely our most effective procedure. They are NOT eliminated. But we have taught our kids that we can do more than just lock the door and hide. We have told them it’s ok to barricade the door (and how to), look for an escape route if needed, ready projectiles. We have asked them not to hide in the corner, but instead keep vigilant in the room for any threats so that they can react accordingly (see COUNTER).
INFORM: We have created plans to continue to inform our staff and students during the emergency. Information is key to good decisions. This information could come over the PA system, email, text, or even phone apps. We have also taught our students how to continue this process by giving the actionable information – who, what, where, when, how. We have implemented internal plans in our schools to insure the best, real-time information is disseminated.
COUNTER: First – we are NOT teaching our staff and students how to fight. We are not telling them they have to counter. We are just empowering them to act in situations where previously they were conditioned to hide in a corner and wait for help. Counter protocols discussed included distraction methods, the “swarm” technique, and even readying objects to throw at the threat. Research on prior active shooter events has proven that these proactive response techniques are dramatically more effective than the passive response we have conditioned our youth in.
EVACUATE: For the times where the lockdown is not possible (the hallway), proven ineffective (bad guy breaches door), or is not practicable (fire), we must evacuate. Our evacuation plans include teaching students their school specific rally point – and how to get there alone if needed. They include ensuring law enforcement is aware of each location. It even includes how to get these evacuated students reunited with you – their loved ones.
Continuing the Dialog with your Child: It is important to continue this dialog with your kids. To do so effectively, you should know the terminology we have been using with each age group and how the message was conveyed.
Grades 6-12: This age group was given the full ALICE presentation. It was softened for 6-8, but not by much. We related to these students the preference of an “Active” response versus a “Passive” response. Active responses include running (if appropriate), countering, swarming, and even enhanced lockdowns (barricading). Refer to the above explanation of the ALICE acronym for talking points. They key for 6-12 is empowerment to make decisions in the face of danger, and providing the options to do so.
Thank you for your support in this new program.
Brian Miller
School Resource Officer
Auburn Hills Police / Avondale Schools
GRADUATION INFO
March 2nd – Teacher Conferences & Senior Parent Meetings 4-7pm. Come in and meet your student's counselor and discuss their progress.
March 31st – Cap & Gown Orders Due
- Payment due no later than May 1st. Student will not receive their Cap and Gown until payment is made, $32.00 CASH ONLY.
March 31st - Diploma Name Form Due
May 12th – Junior/Senior Prom
May 24th – Seniors Last Day / All classes must be complete
May 26th – Senior Breakfast and Rehearsal 8 am - Avondale Academy
May 31st – Graduation 7 pm - Avondale High School Auditorium
Avondale Acaddemy
Email: janette.mow@avondale.k12.mi.us
Website: http://avondaleacademycounseling.weebly.com/
Phone: 248-537-6600
Facebook: facebook.com/avondaleacademycounseling
Twitter: @avondaleacademy